Government Fleet, March/April 2018

MARCH APRIL 2018 GOVERNMENT FLEET 35 and ice storms When the city learned the Caprice would also be discontined after model year 2017 this time around it stocked up purchasing 10 Caprices in the 2016 2017 budget year This year Spring Hill will have to decide what to do when adding units without the Caprice as an option The department will start to evaluate vehicles based on our needs and will make recommendations to the Board of Mayor and Aldermen BOMA he said BOMA will consider the options based on our budget and the performance evaluations of other vehicles At the City of El Paso the chosen path was replacement based on a number of factors such as maintainability acquisition cost and operating cost The city chose the Dodge Charger In this case we also considered employee morale since the vehicles were being used for public safety Roberts said Plan for Parts If you plan to hang on to discontinued vehicles and especially if you choose to stockpile them youll want to make a plan for sourcing replacement parts and ensure resources are available to service the vehicles throughout their life cycles Chevrolet parts are available for many years after vehicles go out of production to help ensure smooth maintenance and replacement service throughout the life cycle of a police vehicle said Dana Hammer GMs government sales manager However fleets still experience problems Roberts said its been difficult finding replacement parts but the fleet has found a workaround The greatest challenge is the discontinuation of parts and services on the vehicle type We are experiencing a shortage of electrical components and differential parts on the Chevrolet Camaro model year 2002 and Crown Victoria model years 2000 to 2008 he said However we are able to search cooperatives and buy boards for alternative parts solutions The Spring Hill Police Department experienced both scenarios The first time the fleet faced a discontinuation finding replacement parts wasnt a problem Finding aftermarket parts could be an issue depending on the part usually accessory parts But for us we did not have challenges with the Impala Brite said It was a different story with the Caprice Dealerships ran out of stock for certain Caprice parts and that has left vehicles undriveable To avoid this situation Brite recommended anticipating what parts may be needed and having a network of resources from which to buy them For Manatee County the need for parts materialized over time Initially parts were not an issue Brennan said After time went on we began having to custom fabricate repair parts until we simply began decommissioning these units using them for spare parts Focus on the Positive It may feel like a blow when vehicles are discontinued but the news doesnt have to be all bad Roberts said fleets can see a number of improvements as a result Better vehicle availability when you need them reduced environmental impact and improved safety and public perception are all positives he said A discontinued police vehicle provides an opportunity to evaluate the alternatives and find the best vehicle for their current needs Hammer from GM added Today there are new alternatives like the full size Chevrolet Tahoe PPV available in 4WD which was not available just a few short years ago Brennan agreed discontinuations can yield a positive result We look at these challenges as opportunities to take an in depth review of our mission requirements and redesign specifications for vehicles and equipment that will not only meet current requirements but incorporate the advancing technologies to better support operations well into the future he said n SOURCES u Michael Brennan CEM fleet division manager Manatee County Fla E mail Michael Brennan@ mymanatee org u Don Brite chief of police Spring Hill Police Department Tenn E mail DBrite@ springhilltn org u Dana Hammer government sales manager General Motors Website www gmfleet com u Milton Roberts fleet maintenance manager City of El Paso Texas E mail MiltonR@ elpasotexas gov Government fleet models that met with the chopping block for the 2018 model year include Fiat Chrysler Automobiles Chrysler 200 Jeep Patriot Ford Hybrid C Max Plug in Hybrid C Max Mitsubishi i Miev Smart ForTwo THE 2018 DISCONTINUED LIST Manatee County Fla makes sure it plans for parts replacements ahead of time such as for this GMC truck The City of El Paso Texas has seen three police models discontinued including the Ford Crown Victoria PHOTO COURTESY OF MANATEE COUNTY PHOTO COURTESY OF CITY OF EL PASO